Nebraska Library Commission Website

One Book For Nebraska Kids
or One Book For Nebraska Teens

Wouldn't it be great if kids all over Nebraska were talking about books? The Nebraska Library Commission & the Regional Library Systems have a program where kids can all read and discuss the same book.

The Nebraska Library Commission and the Regional Library Systems have book bags for many, but not all, of the selected titles. To borrow the book bags, contact the Commission Reference Services, 402-471-4016, 800-307-2665,
e-mail, or the Regional Library System
offices. For more information contact Sally Snyder, Coordinator of Children and Young Adult Library Services, 402-471-4003, 800-307-2665. Guidelines can be found here. These are thought-provoking books to read anytime and librarians may borrow the book sets whenever they are available and fit into their library or school's schedule. The
Library Commission has many other book bags available - check them out here.

Beginning in 2013 we select both a One Book for Nebraska Kids and a One Book for
Nebraska Teens every year. Prior to 2013 we alternated choosing titles. The "Kids" book is aimed at
grades 4-6 or so and the "Teens" title is often aimed at high school age readers.

One Book For Nebraska Kids and Teens 2013

Kids:Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith
David, nicknamed Scrub, is sent from Florida, where he had all kinds of plans with his best
friend, to Washington to stay with his grandmother for the summer. She has
a bed and breakfast and he is certain a long boring summer is ahead. He
soon learns his grandmother's reputation as a "crazy lady" is well founded
-- her visitors are from other planets. Soon Scrub is helping new arrivals
to touch up their disguises and trying to keep the prying sheriff, who knows
something is off with the place, out of his grandmother's hair. Clever
touches, such as the descriptions of the many - very different - aliens add to the fun.
Certain to appeal to reluctant readers, this looks like the beginning of a wonderful series.

Teens: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Set in an alternate version of World War I, German Central Powers (Clankers) use mechanized war machines opposed by British Entente Powers (Darwinists) who fabricate living creatures genetically. Heroes are teens Aleksander (15), son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and Deryn (15), a Scottish girl who joins the British Air Service hoping to serve aboard one of the floating fabricated animals. This award-winning, first-in-series novel epitomizes the steampunk genre in young adult fiction.

One Book For Nebraska Teens 2012

Blank Confession
by Pete HautmanBlank Confession by Pete Hautman, is for high school
age teens. Shayne Blank (16) has walked into the police station to
confess to a murder. The detective, George Rawls, is intrigued by his
manner: calm and matter of fact. We hear Shayne's story from two points of
view: the detective, and one of his classmates, Mikey.

One Book For Nebraska Kids 2011-2012

The Last Newspaper Boy in America by
Sue Corbett
This year's book is for grades 4-6 or so. Wil David, has just turned 12 and
takes over his brother's newspaper route just in time to find out the newspaper
will no longer be provided to his town, Steele. He is determined to fight it. On
another front, he decides to investigate a new game at the fair, which promises
a $1,000 prize, and he wonders what the catch is. Wil uses the library a lot and
is a good researcher. His determination won him the nickname "Wil of Steele."
Readers will be curious about the outcome of both issues.

One Book For Nebraska Teens 2010-2011

Unwind, by
Neal Shusterman
This year's book is aimed at high school age Nebraska teens.
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, tells of a future America
where parents can choose to have their children between the ages of 13 - 18,
"unwound" (their body parts are harvested and given to others). Connor,
16, is shocked when he discovers his parents have decided to have him unwound.
He runs away and strives to survive, encountering others like himself. In a future America, parents can choose to have their children between
the ages of 13 - 18, "unwound" (their body parts are harvested and given to
others). Connor, 16, is shocked when he discovers by accident that his parents plan to have him unwound. He runs away and strives to survive, encountering others like himself.

One Book For Nebraska Kids 2009-2010

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
This year's book was aimed at upper elementary age Nebraska children, grades
4-6. It is about Dewey Kerrigan, 11,
who travels to New Mexico in 1943 and meets up with her father, who lives on a
secret base and is working on a top
secret project with a number of other scientists, including J. Robert
Oppenheimer.

One Book For Nebraska Teens 2008-2009

The Book Thiefby Markus Zusak
Narrated by Death, The Book Thief tells of Liesel (age 10 at the beginning of the book), who travels to Molching, Germany to live with foster parents; and the effects World War II has on the home front in Germany, and on the people the Nazis are rounding up. To cope, Liesel begins to steal books, even before she has learned to read.

One Book For Nebraska Kids 2007-2008

Rescue Josh McGuire by
Ben Mikaelsen
This year's book is aimed at fourth to sixth graders. It is about a boy who
risks a lot to try to rescue a bear cub.
Here are some
PDF files to help you setup a book discussion: